Symphony of the Crusade
by Airship Canon
Summary: He promised he'd protect her, no matter what it took. But how far would that take him? A swordfighter with someone to protect, and the Liberation Army clash, and heroes fall. Tales of Symphonia/Fire Emblem 4 Crossover. Colloyd & Celuria. Rated for later
1. Prologue: Blood on the Sand

**Symphony of the Crusade**

_By Airship Canon_

_

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_**Warning: Reader Discretion Advised!**  
The following contains themes of Brother Sister Incest, Family Unfriendly Death, That One Boss, Complete Monster, Rogue Protagonist, and possibly a Crowning Moment Of Awesome, Heartwarming, and Ect. If you don't realize what those are, stop reading and go to TVTropes, that will ruin your life far quicker than I. If you Don't Like Don't Read. As a warning, a certain childhood friend ends up extremely unlucky, but that's the nature of the universe she's from. And while I'd be facing cries of "Die for Our Ship", I'd like to point out that she does not in fact, die for our ship, "our ship" was occurring anyway, and she was happily chasing after someone else, and in fact died because anyone can. Any and all references to actual gameplay that you may find in this are completely fictional, and if you question their fictionality, slap yourself, this is a cross over. Lastly, the following Disclaimer is as follows "Dis has been Claimed", because Disclaimers in Fanfiction are completely pointless. However it must be stated that "Sheena Fujibayashi" belongs to a GameFAQ'r named "Judgment8". Now stop reading this header and read the story, or I'll cast Narga on you.

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**Prologue: Blood on the Sand**

He promised he'd protect her, no matter what it took; he would not falter, nor fail. But how far would that take him? What were his limits? He didn't have time to think- the magic of her Rescue staff was surrounding him, as the enemy closed in around him, ready to take righteous vengeance for the life he had just taken. He closed his eyes as the magic took him skyward, soon to absorb his very existence and take him to her, but before his eyes closed, he looked down, down to the blood on the sand—blood of an innocent priestess, whose life had been abruptly ended far too soon… ended at his blade. What were only a few seconds seemed like an eternity as he heard the cries of his perceived enemy, before disappearing before their eyes—he had escaped with his life, but what at what cost?

The swordfighter sheathed his Killer Edge and looked down, tears forming in his eyes. He looked around, and then upon himself, his already red clothes stained darkly with the blood of the Priestess of the Liberation Army. He had won the battle, but it was an empty victory, nothing was accomplished by that preemptive strike against the liberators.

"Lloyd…" a voice called to him, a familiar, comforting voice, the voice of the person who meant the most to him. "What's wrong, Lloyd?" she asked, concerned about his state.

"I killed her. There was no fight. No struggle. Nothing. I was there and gone in an instant- the Liberation Army didn't have a chance to counterattack. Yet… what if that happened to you!" He responded.

"You'd protect me." She responded.

Lloyd looked up, his eyes matching hers, the harsh desert sun beginning to set behind them. "Colette… you're right. I would. I promised. And while I couldn't protect our home, our Iselia, I will keep this promise."

"So, it was a success then?" A stern female voice came from behind.

"Raine… yes, the plan worked, their Priestess is dead." Lloyd replied.

"I'd call this a true success, except we underestimated the enemy—we do not have time or the capacity to wipe them out, and in fact, they'll soon be upon us. Our only hope is… for Colette to sing the Dirge of Ruin. She has already agreed to the plan, and we must act quickly." Raine said, shocking Lloyd.

"Really! Professor! You can't be serious! _The__ Dirge of Ruin_! That could kill her!" Lloyd exclaimed. "Colette? You agreed to this? Even knowing that?"

Colette nodded.

"No way am I going to let you do that!" Lloyd yelled, wrapping his arms around her.

"There isn't any other option. We must do this to survive." A man said, as he approached. "Aless, the Black Knight has betrayed our allies. Leaf's rebellion in the Manster district is gaining ground, and while we've stalled Celice, we did little to stop him. We must further stall them and retreat from this battlefield."

"Kratos!" Lloyd yelled at the man "You know what the Dirge could do!"

"Calm down, Lloyd, I know how you feel, but we have no other choice. Further, it won't kill the prophet." Kratos said. "I'll try buy us some time with my Holy Flamberge, but we must retreat. Have Colette sing that Galdr at sunset."

Lloyd gritted his teeth and tried in vain to hold back his tears as he looked at Colette as she walked away… he turned back and saw spots of blood on the sand.

_"Is this war necessary?"_


	2. Prologue 2: The Fall of Iselia

**Author's Note:**

For those not used to Fire Emblem 4: Seisen No Keifu, the Magical Trinity is different in it than the one that you're probably used to. Anima flat out loses to Light and Dark in this one, unlike the later games which have the DarkAnimaLightDark Trinity. And yes, Forcystus is using a Rexspell, despite them not existing in the Jugdral games.

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**Prologue 2: The Fall of Iselia**

_It has been 17 years since the Battle of Bahara. Emperor Alvis, who was once heralded by the people, has since been a weakened ruler. Dark times face the Holy Continent Jugdral, and the people under the Grandbell Empire. The common people suffer greatly as the nobility lives in lavish conditions. And worst of all, the Lopt Sect's cruel reign of terror has begun anew. Large scale child sacrifices to the Dark Lord, known as Child Hunts have begun all across the continent. And the Emperor who firmly opposed them is powerless to stop what has begun since a fateful day 7 years ago. Now an all out war between the Liberation Army of Isaac, Led by Sigurd the Traitor's son, Celice, and the Imperial forces based in Lenster has reached a front in the Yied Desert. Heroes are on both sides. Blades will clash. Blood will be spilled._

_3 months ago… The village of Iselia in Lenster had so far been peaceful- a lucky place, but its luck has run out, a child hunt lead by the mysterious Roter Rosen Army of the Lopt Sect approaches…_

"The Saint Heim called upon the Divine power of the Dragon, Narga, to defeat Galle, the Lopt Emperor." A child with silver hair and blue robes said.

"Yes, Genis, that's correct. " A silver haired woman, a cleric, said. "Now, class—Ahem! Lloyd! Lloyd Irving! Wake up at once!" She yelled, catching sight of the red-clothed boy standing in the back of the classroom, asleep. She promptly took a piece of chalk from her desk and threw it with near perfect accuracy straight at him, hitting him in the forehead with an audible "crack".

"Ow! Eh Professor Raine, is class over?" He said as he woke up, garnering him the laughter of all the children in the classroom.

Raine shook her head and sighed. "Never mind… _just how do you manage to sleep standing?_ Anyways, as I was saying, yes, Genis, that's correct. Heim defeated Galle and Loputousu with the power of his holy weapon, the symbol of the pacts with the Gods of the Dragon Tribe, the Divine tome, Narga. The Royal family of Grandbell has the descendants of Saint Heim. Empress Deirdre and the Imperial Princess have major Holy Blood and could wield the Divine tome itself. Now, could you explain the Crusaders, Colette?"

A girl wearing a white and blue robe with long golden blonde hair spoke up, "Yes, Professor. The Crusaders were Twelve Heroes who started the Royal Families within Grandbell, they received the blessing of the Gods, the Dragon Tribe, and each wielded a sacred Holy Weapon to fight the Lopt Empire. Saint Heim was their Leader, but there also was the Black Knight Hezul, Lady of Flames Fala, the Sage Lord Sety, Archbishop Blaggi, the Sniper Ulir, the Dragonmaster Dain, his sister, the Paladin Noba, the Reaver Neir, the Sword Saint Odo, the Thunder Knight Tordo, and the Holy Knight Baldo."

"Excellent, Colette. Yes, they were the freedom fighters who fought to save everyone from the Lopt Empire who oppressed and murdered the people. Now, today, class, we will be discussing the Crusader known as Baldo, the Holy Knight. As you already know, Baldo's Holy Weapon is the Holy Sword Tyrfing, and his descendants, the Calphies, are now known as traitors for their involvement in Prince Kurth's assassination. However, he was known as heroic crusader who narrowly escaped being sacrificed to the Dark Lord. You see, when he was thirteen, a few years before the Miracle of Darna, his village was attacked in a Child Hunt. When his father refused to hand him over, the Imperial Army attacked. His father was a great swordsman however, known as the Hero of the Blue Fla—", Raine explained, however she was cut off by the violent opening of the schoolhouse's front door.

"THIS IS AN ORDER FROM THE GLORIOUS LORD FORCYSTUS OF THE ROTER ROSEN! ALL CHILDREN BETWEEN THE AGES OF SEVEN TO THIRTEEN ARE TO BE HANDED OVER FOR SACRIFICE TO THE DARK LORD LOPUTOUSU!" A large man shouted. The entire class went dead silent, save for a few terrified whimpers from some of the younger children. Lloyd looked towards Colette and Genis who both stood up, holding books.

Raine turned towards the three and nodded, taking hold of her staff. "Genis…" she said in a low whisper.

"_Colette… Genis… Help me—I'm going to save the village." _ Lloyd whispered. They both nodded. Lloyd then dashed forward towards the soldier who stood at the door, unsheathing a blood red katana-like sword as he did. He slashed the soldier and then slammed into him, stabbing the man with a second sword.

"Ugh! Damn Rebel… Don't you know…? LANCE BEATS SWORD!" The man shouted, blood gargling his speech as he swung a large, cross adorned lance of pure silver down and straight into Lloyd, knocking him to the floor.

"Lloyd!" Colette yelled, running up towards him. She opened a golden-clad book and softly said in a magical language, _"O holy light of life, gather before me… Open my Path..! Aura!"_ As she finished her words, a brilliant light surrounded the soldier, who had struck Lloyd, and as its golden and bright green light engulfed him, he cried out in terrible pain and collapsed, barely managing to breath, uttering a stifled set of final words.

"That…. Ugh…. Was… Aura… they're… heavily… armed..." the man's last words were but a mere warning to his comrades outside.

"Lloyd, are you alright?" Colette asked, kneeling next to him, wiping the blood from his forehead as he sat up.

"Yeah, Colette. Thanks." He said, but he collapsed again. "I guess I'm useless. I can hardly move after that."

"Hold still, Lloyd." Raine said as she walked up to him with her staff. _"Relive."_ She raised her staff, and blue light flowed from it, surrounding Lloyd, instantly healing the wound on his head. "Be more careful, Lloyd. And the soldier was correct; Lances have an advantage over Swords. Axes have the edge over Lances, however, and Swords defeat Axes. Of course, the wielder of the weapon has far more of an effect on the fight than the weapon itself."

"I-I knew that, I just forgot." Lloyd said, as he got up, picking up his twin swords.

"Sigh… And Genis don't forget the magical trinities as well... Flames best Wind, Wind is strong against Thunder, and Thunder beats Fire. Colette doesn't have to worry about that, as Light and Dark both are superior to the elemental Anima, and are neutral to one another."

"Got it!" Genis said, as he ran up to the other three.

"Yeah. We've got to drive off this "Roter Rosen" or whatever they're called and put a stop to this." Lloyd said as he walked out of the schoolhouse. What he walked out into wasn't the peaceful, green village he had been used to- instead he was horrified to find a veritable hellscape, many buildings engulfed in flames and bodies lying in the streets. The village militia had mobilized, but was quickly being overpowered by the marauding invaders. "This is…" he said, horrified at what he found.

"Terrible." Colette and Genis both said in unison.

Lloyd nodded. "We've got to help. I'll go aid the militia at the center of the village! Raine, you and Genis, can you two help get everyone to safety?"

Raine spoke up, "I'll help with the injured, but that plan puts you in significant danger. We should stick as a group. There's more safety in numbers. Rushing into battle like that will only get you killed. Instead, we should stay together and pick off soldiers before the militia falls."

Lloyd grunted in agreement. "Yeah, you're right, splitting up will only get us killed."

The four ran forward into the village, striking down separated Roter Rosen soldiers and healing Iselia Militia members, when they ran into a heavily armored, if short, man. "Come on you dastards!" he yelled, provoking a nearby sword-wielding soldier of the Roter Rosen. The armored man took the soldier's blow as though it were nothing, and counterattacked, swinging a massive hammer upward, smashing it into the soldier, knocking him skyward, and then striking him again in a blink of an eye, slamming the soldier into the ground. He then was attacked again from the side, but a flash of emerald light repulsed the attack, and once again the man counterattacked with a brutal swing of his hammer, sending the attacker flying.

"Dad!" Lloyd yelled, recognizing the general.

"Lloyd!" the man responded. "I've got things covered up here. I might be a blacksmith, but I'm no pushover. There's heavy fighting in the center of the village though. The militia is outnumbered, and could really use your help, and I know you can handle it, you're my son after all."

"Right!" Lloyd said. "Guys! Dirk's got this area! Let's go!"

"Well this changes our plans." Genis said, as the group changed their path straight towards the center of the burning village.

As they arrived, they found most of the townsfolk surrounded by the Roter Rosen troops and the Militia annihilated. A man with green hair, and orange robes sat atop an adorned warhorse, holding an ornately covered wind tome. One of his eyes was covered by a patch, and his other eye was a drab green color. He then spoke in a stern tone, "Listen up, inferior beings! I am Lord Forcystus, a superior Mage Knight of the Roter Rosen, one of the Lopt Sect's enforcers! As you can see, your village burns. You are lucky to have your lives! This is the price of rebellion against the Lopt Sect, and refusing to hand over your children as per our request! You are all lucky that I am the most merciful of the Five Grand Cardinals, and it was I, not Lord Kvar who came your way! Now, if you want to continue to have your lives hand over the remaining children of the village and order your soldiers to throw down their weapons! Furthermore, I am understood that the Chosen of the Emblem is here! Her name is Colette Brunel; bring her to me as well!"

"NOT A CHANCE!" Lloyd yelled, running towards the man.

"No! Lloyd! Wait!" Raine exclaimed.

"Ah! Another rebel! Fool!" Forcystus exclaimed, turning towards Lloyd. "Ah! You're… Fine. Very Well, you challenge me to single combat? I'll accept that! But I'll fight you, and only you! If anyone aids you, the villagers will be executed, hear me?"

"You can't defeat me, you craven cur!" Lloyd shouted.

"Ha-ha! We shall see. Oh, I see you're armed with a Killing Edge! I should let you know, I've mastered Nihil! Your skills and killer attacks are useless against me!" Forcystus responded as Lloyd pointed his swords at him.

Lloyd charged forward, slashing at Forcystus, but he effortlessly dodged Lloyd's ill aimed attack.

"My turn. _O grand winds gather before me! Become frozen blades of air and slay thy foe! Rexcalibur!" _Forcystus raised his hands and channeled his spell, which formed a blast of ice that surrounded and entrapped Lloyd, as a potent tornado began to tear the ice apart and Lloyd with it. Lloyd cried out in sheer pain and collapsed after a single strike from the powerful wind spell. "Humph. Pathetic. It seems the only thing born of an insect and another insect is an insect! Now, I'm done playing around…"

"_I can't… I can't die… not here! Not now!" _Lloyd said to himself, getting up as he watched Forcystus prepare his Rexcalibur spell again. He closed his eyes and took a step to the left, narrowly avoiding the powerful spell's blast, but collapsed once again from pain. He then caught a glare from Forcystus, who went to cast Rexcalibur once more, but he caught sight of a man behind Forcystus also ready to cast.

"_Searing Flames arise; scorch the earth and my enemies as one! Elfire!" _The man behind Forcystus said, unleashing a column of fire that engulfed the Mage Knight. Forcystus then turned to face the man, and to give the order to execute the villagers, but noticed that his troops lie defeated at the hands of Colette, Genis and Dirk, and many of the injured were being treated by Raine. "Lord Forcystus of the Roter Rosen! You are in direct violation of Emperor Alvis's Anti-Child Hunting Laws! You have directly slaughtered civilians, and are attempting to kill or capture without orders the Chosen of the Emblem! Your punishment shall be death!"

"Who are you to—Wait; you're Lord Kratos of the Himmlischer Ritter Special Forces Brigade! I should've known you'd betray us!" Forcystus said.

"Betray you? I'm following Lord Alvis's direct orders. You're the traitor, Forcystus!" Kratos said, charging towards Forcystus on his equally ornate warhorse. He unsheathed a glowing red sword shaped like a flame, which emitted a brilliant light as it left its sheath.

"A Holy Weapon? It couldn't be… that's not Tyrfing, Mistoltein, or Balmung…. He's still an Imperial Master Knight though…" Raine said to herself, watching as Kratos approached Forcystus, while preparing to heal Lloyd once more with her Relive Staff.

Kratos slashed Forcystus, flames engulfing his sword as he did. Forcystus cringed in pain as Kratos's blow hit home- his body badly burned and now cut grievously. "Ugh… you have… Nihil?" Forcystus grunted, countering with a Rexcalibur blast that missed the Master Knight.

"No need to answer your question, Forcystus of the Five Grand Cardinals. Now to end this," Kratos said, lifting a white book adorned with blue, "This will take care of your remaining troops as well..! _Sacred powers, cast thy purifying light upon these corrupt souls! Rest in peace, sinners! Judgment!" _ With the completion of Kratos's spell, brilliant beams of bright light fell from the sky, striking down Lord Forcystus who cried out in pain and terror before falling silent and dead, and his few remaining soldiers through the village. Kratos looked upon Forcystus's charred body and shook his head. "Fool."

"Lord Kratos… how can we ever repay you for saving us?" An elderly woman said as the fires behind her began to die due to the rain.

"It doesn't matter- it seems that girl is Chosen of the Emblem, correct?" He said, pointing at Colette.

"Yes. So it's time for my granddaughter to begin her journey then." The woman said. "Thank you for saving her."

"Well, yes, it is time. However, she will need a guard due to the actions of both the Lopt Sect and the rumors of an uprising. I cannot do that alone. I'll need some of this village's soldiers. However, it seems most, if not all, perished during the attack." Kratos said.

"Wait! Colette's leaving?" Lloyd shouted as he got up, his wounds healed by Raine's staff.

"Yes. She is to travel to Bahara. It is her duty as the Chosen of the Emblem, receiver of the gods' power of Seid Magic." Kratos continued.

"I'm going with her then! I promised her I'd protect her and stay by her side always!" Lloyd shouted.

"No. You're far too young and inexperienced for this. While you do have the courage for it, you'd be a liability. I'd take the Cleric, and the General." Kratos responded.

"Umm…. Mr. Kratos, sir… please; I get nervous when Lloyd's not around." Colette said.

"Fine, Chosen, but if he becomes a liability, we have to leave him behind." Kratos responded, shaking his head.

"If Lloyd and Raine are going, I'm going too!" Genis shouted.

"This is not a field trip." Kratos responded.

"And, I'm declining. This village needs me now." Dirk said.

"Augh. Fine, do what you will." Kratos said, his voice low, and he followed with a deep sigh.

Lloyd turned to Colette, "Thanks Colette." He said with a smile on his face.

She blushed and said to him, "It's the truth."

The elderly woman turned said, "Good luck, Colette."

"Yeah! Thank you, Grandmother!" She said with a smile on her face.

"Well, our first stop will be Alster castle, where King Blume resides." Raine suggested.

"That's a good idea." Kratos said in agreement. "Let's get going. No point in waiting around here."

"Lloyd, don't get bored of this journey now!" Genis said, teasing his friend.

"Don't worry, I won't!" Lloyd retorted, slapping Genis across the back of the head.

Kratos sighed at his new companions, as they left the village behind...


	3. Chapter 1: Backsliding

**Chapter 1: Backsliding**

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_Gran 776, Deep in the Yied Desert. Isaac Liberation Army outpost._

"Himmlischer Ritter? Are you sure?" The blue haired man said, turning his eyes towards the older, green-haired man who sat to his right. "They're the ones out here?"

"Most certainly, Celice- it can't be any other, Barhara's Special Forces Brigade, Himmlischer… the Angelic Knights. Kratos Aurion is with them- _Judgment_ is what annihilated Leaf's attack on Alster. I'm surprised they didn't send him in that little attack of theirs…" The green-haired man said, his tone stern, "Listen, I know you're upset about Rana's death. You cannot allow your emotions to get a hold of you- we will get a chance to bring them down. Act hastily on this and we'll lose a lot more than just Rana- a screw up will cost us the war."

"Levin… I know. But… if what you've said has all been true- they know that Yuria… Yuria… she's their next target. I…I… We can't lose her as well. We have to strike back, _before they can attack us again._"

Levin pointed at a point on the map that rested on the table in between them. "Right there. That's where they are holding out… that area is known as Triet. It's a ruined City… destroyed in the Holy War- it's said Fala herself set the city ablaze… if we can use the ruins to our advantage, we may be able to scatter the enemy and pick them off… Oifaye, Aless, and Johan should hit the front- Lure Kratos out, while the rest of the primary forces wipe out the rest of them…"

"Now that's more like it, Levin." Celice smiled looking at a hastily drawn battle plan overlaying the map. "Anything else you know about the enemy?"

"Don't get hasty… I'm not done." Levin said, "If Kratos doesn't take the bait, or worse… we will have to retreat. We cannot afford any losses here- and knowing Himmlischer's purpose; they'll cut and run if we are known to be retreating."

"Himmlischer's purpose… Levin, what do you know?"

"They're not really here to pick fights- they attacked and killed Rana to slow us down. They act as escort for a Shaman… the Chosen of the Emblem, sometimes referred to as the 'Prophet of Flames'… Celice, do you know of Seid Magic?"

"Never heard of that…"

"Seid Magic is spoken of only in the Mairist Legends- it's a sacred form of magic, originating from songs sung in the ancient tongue, the Galdr… Mairists, and notably, those involved in the Church of Martel, speak of it as the power of Angels… it is terribly powerful. And it's said, that the Chosen of the Emblem can ignite the powers within Valthomer's 'Fire Emblem'- awaken as the Prophet of Flames and wield Sied Magic… Himmlischer's Shaman is none other than the Chosen…"

"That means…"

"Yes, Celice, if we get the chance, we need to eliminate her… for her sake as well."

"What?"

"The Prophet will die a terrible death… after awakening the powers of each shrine across the continent… she will be sacrificed to a goddess- and become eternally trapped in a state of perpetual nothingness. Or so they say… of course, it's unavoidable, her death anyways: she's an enemy."

"That's terrible… how the Empire uses its people like that… we've got to stop them."

"Well, now you've got an idea how to handle this- go rally the troops."

"Right…_Rana… I couldn't protect you. I'm sorry. But… I swear it; I'll avenge your death._" Celice shut his eyes, but all he could see is the same series of images repeating in his head, a solid memory of moments earlier- the moment when Rana was killed… "…_I swear, I'll kill that swordsman in red…_"

* * *

_Earlier that day, Triet Ruins, Himmlischer Ritter encampment_

"So… it's the Liberation Army? The same ones who attacked Alster… before we broke the Seal here?" Lloyd asked.

"No. That attack- that was the Thracian Liberation Army, lead by Leaf Claus Faris- Kratos' Judgment effectively crippled them: Lord Blume, Tinny Freege, and his three mages will be more than enough to deal with the task of keeping defenses of Alster intact when only faced with what remains of that army. This one is led by 'Lord' Celice Baldos Calphy- the son of Sigurd the traitor, and the reason Isaac became a battlefield over the past few months… even now, they march on... their obvious objective is to unify with with the survivors of the Alster attack at Lenster castle…" Raine shook her head as she spoke. "This enemy is strategic- far more so than the Desians of the Roter Rosen, and much more resilient than the Thracian Liberators- the only saving grace is, that, like the Thracian Liberation army, Celice's forces do not possess Exspheres- or Exsphere Weapons… Even so, Celice poses a serious threat to Blume- no, the empire as a whole… they've already killed Prince Ishtore and his beloved Liza..."

"Ishtore and Liza are dead? I… I… don't believe that...! They're called "liberators" but they killed Ishtore? What did he do to them! These 'Liberation Army' guys are monsters…!" Lloyd exclaimed, remembering Prince Ishtore's kindness, something now lost forever to the shifting sands of the Yied Desert.

"Celice's army isn't very large- and it's centered around a few key individuals… eliminating Celice himself would mark the end of it, but that isn't likely- not for us anyway… our target would have to be one of their staff-wielders… there's two we've identified. One appears to be a silver-haired Shaman… she's… not opportune- if attacked, that girl would defend herself with the Resire spell… any effort would be wasted. No, our actual target… is a Priestess." Raine continued to explain, "Now, Lloyd, your part is to actually carry out this attack. I'll send you into the heart of their operation with my Warp Staff- you need to eliminate the Priestess… the one called 'Rana', as fast as possible- do not fight the rest of them, or you will die…Colette will bring you back to us afterward with her Rescue staff… if you're successful, we should be able to put a serious dent in their forces."

"Gotcha." Lloyd nodded as he spoke; facing Raine- his hand on his Killer Sword's hilt, ready to fight. "I'm ready…_Colette…keep me safe... I'm counting on you…_"

* * *

_Liberation Army Outpost_

"…Darna Castle… it's where the miracle of Darna occurred…" Celice muttered looking forward at a map that lay on the table in front of him. Nothing broke him from concentration- he had to think- calculate his next move, the Empire's forces were strong, and there was the fact that the Black Knight, Aless, still lay in front of him. Nothing except the sudden, thunderous crash of a powerful spell occurring in the middle of his small base, and the resulting shriek of his childhood friend, Rana. He quickly darted for his Silver Sword, still in its sheath, resting against the wall of the tent that was serving as makeshift command post for his army. His eyes were wide as he caught view of an enemy soldier- one who stood out, a man wearing red and black clothes- and two black and red swords in his hands, appearing directly behind Rana as a flash of light faded.

"…Liberation Army Priestess… I'm… so sorry… but… _Killer Attack. …Tiger Blade!" _ Lloyd said, a blank expression on his face as he slashed Rana to pieces- killing her with one fell stroke. And before anyone else could react, another spell fired off- he was gone- no retribution for her sudden death could be made.

Celice's horrified expression didn't fade, even as the light that has drawn his enemy out of the battle did- there was nothing he could do...


	4. Chapter 2: Blood Stained Echoes

**Chapter 2: Blood-Stained Echoes  
**

* * *

_Triet Ruins_

Lloyd looked across the desert- the wind was picking up. Blowing sand wasn't going to help anyone- a battle would soon be upon him, Celice's Liberation Army was closing in on their positions, and the way things stand now, there was nowhere to run- Kratos was right, he realized. He turned his eyes to the right, and there was the sudden flash of a warp staff, several in succession. Acting quickly, he drew his swords, unsure if the people who were appearing before him were allies or enemies, but as the light began to fade he recognized three mages who appeared with a small battalion of troops, and sheathed his weapons. "Eliu, Vampa, Fetra… why are you here?"

"Ah. Lloyd. King Blume sends his regards, and Tinny as well- I've heard you saved her life when Alster came under attack, she wished to thank you again for that… I trust the seal within Triet was broken, yes?" one of the mages spoke, tilting her head. "I trust you can relay this message to Raine and Kratos, correct?"

"Of course." Lloyd said.

"King Blume wants you do as much damage as possible to the Liberation Army- deploy the power of Seid Magic- with two of the Seals now broken- the Wind Seal in Silesia and now the Fire Seal here in Triet… Colette should be strong enough to use it- the King is quite furious about the death of his son, and wishes he be avenged, by any means necessary. Use this contingent of soldiers as you see fit, Himmlischer Ritter, but devastate them- Tinny and our unit will strike them from behind while they're fighting in these ruins." The mage, Eliu nodded and motioned to the other two mages, who all raised their Rewarp Staves and left as quickly as they had appeared, leaving Lloyd to tell Raine and Kratos of their reinforcements.

"…Lloyd!" one of the soldiers called out before he could leave, however.

"Huh?" Lloyd turned around abruptly.

"…I just wanted to tell you, thank you for helping me out at Alster earlier- my sister was caught up in that mess, and truth be told, I don't really care about this war- but if it weren't for you, I'm not sure either me, nor her, have lived, so thanks." the soldier said, "…let's get through this battle alive, too."

Lloyd nodded in agreement before walking off, with the sun beginning to set on the desert horizon.

* * *

_Just outside Triet_

"…It's time! Listen up! The enemy we face in these ruins is the Himmlischer Ritter-! You've seen what they're capable of when they killed Rana right before our eyes- we can't take them lightly! Our objective is simple: Wipe them out. Of course… if things go wrong- our primary objective of taking Darna and pressing Lenster remains- I don't want to abandon this mission, but we can't lose sight of our goal of freeing this land from the Empire, so if things become too difficult, we're gonna have to pull back and allow Himmlischer to escape." Celice yelled out, turning towards the ruins. "…Liberation Army… move out!"

* * *

_Primary Entrance to Triet Ruins_

"…That's Kratos." Oifaye turned towards Aless and Johan, the two knights who rode with him. "I'm not going to lie, he outclasses us- I've seen him fight first hand- he's a war god… but we're not here to beat him."

"Humph.. I don't care what you've 'seen', Oifaye- he faces Mistoltein. I'll kill him myself- this battle is taking time I need to save my dear Leen." Aless said, snapping the reins of his steed and readying himself for battle- charging headlong straight at his opponent, the master knight who blocked the main entrance to the ruined city.

"No! Aless!" Oifaye called out, left with no choice but to follow the Black Knight's foolish charge.

Kratos smirked, "You earnestly believe you can defeat me?" he asked rhetorically as he drew his sword, Flamberge, from its sheath.

"What? A Holy weapon!... and this pressure… Nihil. Blast!" Aless charged at Kratos, attempting to strike him with his Holy Mistoltein, but failing as both he and Kratos missed each other.

"Humph- not even the power of your Holy Weapon is enough to outweigh my skill, Aless- you're nothing compared to your Father- retreat, Aless, retreat and keep your lives."

"Sorry, but we just can't do that." Oifaye stated as he charged at Kratos with a Silver lance in hand- landing a blow directly into Kratos' side. "Our mission is far too important to abandon."

"…Humph. Well, blame your fate." Kratos turned, his weapon firmly held in his hand, not even fazed by the bloody wound he sustained from Oifaye.

* * *

_Within the Triet ruins, southeast_

"Genis! Come on! We've got to move- the Liberation Army is in the ruins! Kratos is occupied with the front- and Colette's still not ready to…" Lloyd yelled back to his younger friend when his eyes caught sight of several dead Freege soldiers. "…this can't be… are they really that strong?"

"…Lloyd..! Genis..!" one soldier, still clinging to life- his body slashed to pieces and bloody, called out.

"..! You!" Lloyd's eyes widened as he looked at the soldier who called out to him, "... it can't be."

"Sorry, Lloyd… I-I-I'm done for- I guess I lied to you when I… That mage, Arthur… he's strong… and Celice… and that Shaman…they're with him… Lloyd… Celice is looking for you- Celice himself wants to kill you. I don't know what you did… but… Lloyd… promise me something, would you?" the soldier said, coughing up blood as he finished.

"Hang on!..." Lloyd cried out in vain.

"Lloyd… you helped me and my sister at Alster… I want you to take this pendant- and promise me you'll live through this fight- and Genis… you too… if you go back to Alster… find my sister, Lillia, and her son Paul… give it to her… tell her that her brother died fighting to protect her…" the soldier coughed out a few final words before closing his eyes for a final time.

"Blast… I'm so sorry. I thought we agreed we'd both see this battle thru… but yes, if I return to Alster… I promise I'll take it to her." Lloyd cried as he spoke. But as he took the blood-stained locket from the soldier's hand, he looked up towards a small hill with a broken tower at its top and caught sight of a mage with silver hair, similar to Genis, but substantially older. "Genis… that has to be…"

"It's Arthur… the one who killed this man. I know what you want me to do… I'm better against magic-users than you." Genis said, his hand on his Elfire tome.

"I'm gonna find Celice… and put an end to this…" Lloyd said, turning away from Genis and walking off.

"_Lloyd… don't get yourself killed_." Genis muttered as he turned towards Arthur. "…Searing Flames arise! Scorch the earth and my enemies as one..! Elfire!"

A blast of flames erupted beneath the Liberation Army mage, who rolled to avoid taking the full brunt of the blast- but was unable to fully escape the attack. The mage turned, his eyes focusing on Genis, but even as he opened his tome to prepare his counter attack, he hesitated. "…A child?... you can't possibly be a member of the Himmlischer Ritter… Hey kid! Get out of here if you don't want to get hurt!"

"…my name is Genis! Arthur… is it?" Genis said, he said as he readied to launch another attack. "I'm not looking to run- I may be a coward at times, but my friends are counting on me here."

Arthur's face quickly filled with surprise as he realized that the child he faced was not someone caught in the crossfire, but the very same spellcaster who had attacked him. "Very well… Oh mighty wind! Slice the sky asunder! Elwind!"

"Heh! Taking me on with magic?" Genis smirked as he took the spell as though it were nothing, "and you attacked from the wrong side of the trinity as well!"

"Listen, kid! I seriously don't want to hurt you!" Arthur said, as he jumped down from where he stood and approached Genis.

"You had no problem killing Lillia's brother- what makes me any different?" Genis's eyes were filled with anger at his opponent. "…Elfire!"

"…I'm sorry then… Genis." Arthur shifted his eyes, "I'll be more… _wrath_ful… with this one…. Elwind."

* * *

Lloyd stopped for a moment. "Where the hell is this guy?" he muttered as he caught his breath- but as he did, he heard an unfamiliar voice echo nearby.

"…No sign of the Swordfighter who killed Rana…the Chosen of the Emblem isn't here either… is this all one big trap?" the voice said, coming from an alleyway in front of Lloyd.

Lloyd steeled himself- the voice was an enemy's, and in a few moments he knew he'd be face to face with whoever it was. Drawing his Killer Swords from their sheathes, he stepped forward into a courtyard, ready to face his enemy head on. "…whoever you are…_I'm ready for you._"

"…There you are!" a man in blue stated, staring at Lloyd. "Finally… I'll get my chance to avenge Rana!" he said as he drew a magnificent Silver Sword from its sheath, and held up a white and gold shield. "Yuria… I want you to stay out of this one… I know you were Rana's friend too, but… he's mine." he said, turning to the slender, silver-haired girl next to him.

The shaman nodded and ducked into a building, out of view of the coming fight, closing her eyes. "…Celice." she muttered under her breath.

"Swordsman… what is your name?" the man called out to Lloyd.

"…Who are you to ask for my name?" Lloyd said.

"Arrogant little…!" the man said, "I am Celice Baldos Calphy! You killed my friend Rana, and now I'm going to _kill_ you."

"So you're Celice! You…. you…! My name is Lloyd Irving- I don't know what you fight for, but you've caused much pain- I swear, I'll take you down!" Lloyd said, as both he and Celice charged straight at one another, both missing as they swung their weapons. "It's your fault Colette has to suffer-! Rebels…the Desians… threats to the empire! I swear, I'll end all of you!"

"You…fool! You fight for a cause you don't even understand! Look around? What good does the empire do? Nothing! You killed my friend for that?" Celice said, turning back towards Lloyd, slashing with his Silver sword, leaving a wide gash across Lloyd's back.

Lloyd yelled out in pain from Celice's attack and then turned to face Celice once more, but fell to his knees, breathing heavily. "It… can't be… the end…"

Celice turned swiftly, smashing his ornate shield into Lloyd, tossing him across the sand. "Curse you, Lloyd."

Lloyd cringed as he stumbled back to his feet, staring Celice in the eyes. Blood ran down his arms, and dripped from his fingers on to the ground. "…It's not over, Celice." He charged at Celice, landing a sharp blow, but was again blown back by Celice swinging his shield at him, and collapsed to the ground.

"…Rana… I'm going to avenge you." Celice said as he walked over towards Lloyd, who awkwardly stumbled to his feet. "Die."

Lloyd closed his eyes instinctively as Celice swung at him, and as he did, a sudden vision overcame him. "Protect those dearest to you!" a female voice echoed through his mind as he saw himself staring at an image of his mother. "Protect those dearest to you, Lloyd!" the voice echoed again.

"Augh! How?" Celice yelled in pain, blood running down his right arm, which had sustained a significant sword wound. He turned his gaze back onto Lloyd, who's left hand was glowing a brilliant blue light. "I don't know what magic that is… or where you got the strength to strike me so, but… this fight is far from over, Lloyd Irving." he said, gripping his sword and preparing to attack again, however his eyes caught sight of something odd. "Yuria!" he exclaimed turning to his left to face the silver haired girl who had walked out, trance-like into the middle of the small courtyard.

"…Run away… we must… run away." The girl said, her eyes blank and emotionless. "Ruin comes… we must run away…"

"Yuria…! What? What's going on? What's wrong?" Celice placed his hands on her shoulders, ignoring Lloyd for the time being.

"…it's coming…death…ruin…we must…" Yuria continued. "Celice… run."

Just then, it seemed as if the world went silent- an eerie wave of magic shot over the battlefield, and as it did, for a moment, everything stopped.

"_Ne perdatis luces…_" A serene voice enveloped the battlefield as magical feathers appeared to be drifting from the sky.

"The Dirge of Ruin… Celice…Run…!" Yuria said, her body glowing a faint white.

"_Cantum sanctum nunc accipite _"

"Colette!" Lloyd yelled out and turned away from Celice and Yuria and ran through the buildings towards the northwest.

"_Oro, canto, vobis_…"

Celice dropped his sword and fell to the ground. "What's… what's going on? Is this… Seid magic?" He then forced himself back to his feet, "LIBERATION ARMY! FULL RETREAT!" he yelled before picking up his sword, sheathing it, and taking hold of Yuria and running .

* * *

Genis tried to catch his breath- blood covered his face, Arthur was far greater an opponent he had seen at first. He ducked his head out from the cover he had taken in the ruins and found Arthur collapsed to the floor, shaking in pain. "What?"

"_Fiat lux are!_"

Arthur struggled to his feet. "Retreat is the only option here… damn little kid."

"It's Colette… this is the Dirge of Ruin…" Genis muttered as he made a break through the ruins.

"_Spes, ne perdatis…"_

* * *

_"Cantum lucum nunc accipite!"_

Kratos narrowed his eyes, "Retreat now, Liberators. I won't strike you down if you flee. This is the power of Seid magic that you feel now- remain here and you will die," he said staring at Oifaye, Johan, and Aless, all of which were collapsed, hardly able to move.

"_Dono animam mea…_"

"Blast. Celice… I'm sorry, but we've got to get out of here." Oifaye muttered, turning his horse around and riding out into the moonlight desert, Aless and Johan not far behind.

Kratos turned back and began riding towards Colette's position and uttered a slight sigh as he looked upon the Liberation army members fleeing from the Triet ruins.

"_Fiat lux are!_"

* * *

**Author's Note: **Yes, for the Symphonia-savvy, that "Dirge of Ruin" is "Fiat Lux -Hikari Are-" from the OVA. Of course, no telling what the Dirge of Ruin would sound like- and one can only guess what the effect would be... Fiat Lux fits.


	5. Chapter 3: Skirmish At Palmacosta

**Chapter 3: Skirmish at Palmacosta**

* * *

_Faced with the power of Seid Magic, Celice's Liberation army was forced to retreat from the Triet Ruins. This defeat set his march back significantly, however, with the disappearance of the enemy that had struck so suddenly, they managed to regain momentum and laid siege to Darna Fortress and carried their success across the Yied Desert- winning battle after battle, and ultimately taking Alster Castle itself._

_With the Himmlischer Ritter missing in action and King Blume on the run, Celice thought he would have time to stall for a few moments, but before any significant amount of time had passed, a messenger rides from the nearby port town of Palmacosta… _

_Alster Castle_

"Lloyd… just what kind of power did he wield?" Celice said to himself. "It was… Colette… I think that was her name… that used the Seid magic that forced us to retreat… but what was that power that Lloyd unleashed?" He panned his vision across the room he had taken up in within the castle, but the memories of the battle at Triet were far too acute. "And what happened with Yuria...? She, herself, doesn't even remember most of that night," he let loose a sigh as he tried to piece together everything that had occurred around his fight with Lloyd.

A knock on his door, however, broke him out of his thoughts. "Who is it?" He asked, sitting up.

"Umm… it's me." a female voice responded, "Celice are you well? May I come in?"

"Yuria… Of course." Celice said, as the door creaked open.

"Are you still thinking about what happened in Triet?" Yuria asked as she sat down next to Celice.

"Yeah. I can't get that night out of my head… Rana's gone. Nothing will bring her back… Himmlischer Ritter got away… Lloyd with them… and I don't know what happened with you either…" Celice responded.

"All I know… is that one… who sang… I want to save her- I felt pain in her words," Yuria said, "… but we've got to let it go…it's just so sad seeing you like this, Celice," she placed her right hand on to his shoulder.

"Sorry… I can't just let that go. I know… I can't dwell on defeats- so much is at stake, but…"

"Celice…"

"And you keep saying you want to save that girl… how'd we even do that?"

"I don't know, but I want to… there was… so much pain in her voice. It wasn't the magic…"

"Yeah. You weren't affected by it like the rest of us… most of us couldn't stand straight for days, but you were just fine."

"I didn't remember exactly… I just know, that girl… she's suffering. I heard her pain in her voice… it's too sad… I want to save her."

"Yuria… you're really kind."

Yuria blushed but leaned over, resting her head on Celice's shoulder, a smile on her face. "Thank you, Celice."

Just then, however, the door to Celice's room flung open. Levin stood at the doorway, breathing heavily. "Well… I'll be… I'd say, if it weren't for the fact that we've got an emergency on our hands, I'd let you two be, but…" he said, his breath still heavy.

"What? Are we under attack?" Celice exclaimed, rising to his feet.

"No. It's not us that's under attack- but the nearby town of Palmacosta is- it's a massive army, bearing markings no one has seen before- a messenger said they were called 'Desians'… either way, we let this go, and it's gonna turn into a massacre… if you want to keep the people's support in this war, we're going to have to help them." Levin explained.

"Desians… huh?" Celice said, his memory flashing back to his fight with Lloyd. _"It's your fault Colette has to suffer-! Rebels…the Desians… threats to the empire! I swear, I'll end all of you!" _

"Yeah. They call themselves the 'Desians of the Roter Rosen', and they're part of the Lopt Sect… apparently they're being lead by a man named Magnius…" Levin continued.

"Celice! Levin! There's a massive army in purple coats head towards Palmacosta! They're being led by a really, really ugly brute!" a high-pitched female voice called out.

"We know, Phee… we're gonna be intercepting them at once." Celice said, walking towards the door. "Get back in the air… be ready to fight- take Arthur with you. You two make a good team."

* * *

_Palmacosta_

"It-it's Magnius from the Eastern Ranch!" a man stammered out, stumbling backwards as the heavily armed baron walked forward towards him.

"That's Lord Magnius to you, vermin!" Magnius said, taking hold of the man and then snapping his throat, tossing him aside like he was nothing.

"Listen up, inferior beings! We of the Roter Rosen have been issued an order from our leader, Yurius, to destroy this town! Your militia, and continued support of Celice has been a thorn in our side for far too long, however, Lord Magnius has decided he's feeling particularly generous today and may spare your lives!" A Desian sage yelled out. "Pledge absolute loyalty to Lord Loptousu- and turn your militia upon the Liberation Army!"

"No way! I'll never submit to the likes of you!" a young woman in yellow robes yelled out.

"Chocolat! You mustn't!" an older woman in blue yelled out.

"But… mom! These are the same monsters who-!"

"You! If you interfere with us, we will make you suffer in ways that will leave you begging for death!" the sage yelled, turning to face the two.

"Haha! I'll make another example out of the vermin here! You! Kill that woman!" Magnius yelled, motioning to the sage, when suddenly a rock hit him in the side of the head. "You-! Disgusting little vermin!" he yelled, turning towards a small child and drawing his Hero Axe.

"Take this you ugly brute!" Phee said, her hands holding a Javelin, which she threw straight at Magnius, it impaling itself into his right arm. As she flew back on her Pegasus, Mahnya, Arthur fired an Elwind spell straight into Magnius, and Celice ran in from the west.

"What?" Magnius yelled as he tore the spear from his arm. "So the Liberation Army… the entourage of vermin has arrived…! I'm leaving this to you!" he called out, motioning to his men to attack the Liberation Army as he teleported away from the city.

The Sage yelled out to the other Desians "How dare you lay a finger on Lord Magnius! You're all dead!" he then proceeded to cast a Thunder spell on Arthur, who took it as though it were nothing and immediately counter attacked with two Elwind blasts, which quickly killed the Desian Sage.

"Nice job, brother!" a woman with two silver-purple ponytails yelled out, "Now… watch what I can do…! Might of Lightning come forth! Crash down on the battlefield! Elthunder!" she cast a spell, which created two lines of lightning that merged on a Desian swordfighter, followed by a stronger blast that instantly killed him.

"Wow! You really are something, aren't you Tinny?" Celice said as he ran up to another soldier and took him down with two quick blows. "I'm glad you're on our side now."

"Stay focused on the battle, Celice!" Oifaye said as he charged in, swiftly impaling a soldier with his Silver Lance.

"What are you imbeciles doing? Magnius is counting on us here! Unleash the power of the Exspheres! Kill them! Kill them all!" A Desian Duke Knight yelled out to the others. "Cause as much collateral damage as need be-! Magnius isn't Kvar, so we don't have to be worried about keeping any of the inferior beings alive!"

A sword-bearing woman then charged up to him and slashed at him several times with her Hero sword, missing every time."Shut up you!" she yelled as she attacked, quickly moving out of the way of his counter attack.

"Lakche! Be careful- but your knight is with you!" Johan yelled as he attacked the Duke Knight, who then swung his axe recklessly at the Desian who easily avoided the attack.

"Both of you prove why you're pathetic, inferior beings!" he turned swung his lance through the air, "Prepare to die! Sol Strike!" he yelled as he swung it down, stabbing effortlessly through Johan and unleashing a blast of magic at the same time that flowed back into him.

Johan immediately turned and rode back towards the rest of the Liberation army, "I'm sorry my love, but I can't keep fighting like that…"

Watching this unfold, Celice noticed something, the Desian's left wrist was emitting a brilliant blue light- upon this observation he panned his vision around and noted that every one of his opponents had the same magical effect on them. "_It's the same as Lloyd… what is that power?_"

"Why does it seem like our enemies got stronger all of a sudden?" Arthur yelled as he lept backwards from a swordfighter, who then took two blasts from Tinny's Elthunder spell.

"I have no clue, but we can't lose here-! There's not too many of them left, but… we've got to finish this!" Celice exclaimed, striking down a Desian with a swift blow to the back.

"Celice… I… I'll fight for you…! Power of light, envelop thy enemy and grant me strength..! Resire!" Yuria exclaimed, standing next to Celice as she cast a spell on the Duke Knight, which scorched his body and caused him to scream in agony before the brilliant magic that eviscerated her foe flowed back her.

"…Inferior being.. how… did you…" the Desian uttered a few final words before he died.

"The commander is dead..! We've lost this one… retreat!" one Desian yelled before running out of the city, the remaining three following suit.

"Oh thank you, Sir Celice!" a man yelled out, running up to him. "The entirety of this city owes you it's thanks!"

* * *

**Author's Note:** Blatant lies somewhere in this chapter if you know what to look for. :P Also, Lover Criticals are nice. Really nice.


	6. Chapter 3x: The Swordsman and

**Chapter 3x: The Swordsman and the Assassin  
**

* * *

_Palmacosta Tavern_

"One! Two!" A flamboyant man in pink and white clothing, with long, red, flowing hair yelled, holding a large mug of ale yelled out, followed by all of the occupants of the tavern yelling in unison, raising their glasses high "Cheers!"

"Well, people sure are festive, considering this town just came under attack earlier today." Arthur said, turning towards Celice, who didn't respond.

"Oh! Look at that! One.. two.. no, Three wondrous beauties just walked in! Sorry, hunnies, but Master Zelos is gonna have go introduce myself to these three!" the flamboyant man said, his gaze quickly turning to members of the Liberation Army that had entered the tavern.

"Oh! Master Zeloooosss!" a gaudy looking woman in a red dress exclaimed as the man brushed her aside and walked toward the liberation army members.

"Sorry hunnies, I'll be back for you, but give me some time! There's only one me, ya know!" Zelos said, turning back to the guady women who were sitting with him, blowing them a kiss as he did. Turning to face Yuria, he quickly took her hand and kissed it. "Hey, sweet one, aren't you pretty? Might you grace me with your name?"

Yuria merely blushed and turned away, quickly ducking behind Celice.

"Whoa there! You're attracted to other girls? This I like!" Zelos said, his eyes crossing over Celice.

"Hey! Who are you calling a girl?" Celice exclaimed, clenching his fists.

"Oh, I'm sorry, but you totally do not exude manliness, like myself!" Zelos laughed, turning away from Yuria and toward Nanna, "Now who are you, my fine beauty?"

"Oh, I'm… my name is Nanna, and I'm _very _much taken." Nanna said, flashing a quick smile to Leaf.

"Hey hey hey! There's no harm in just playing around!" Zelos exclaimed.

"Oh, hi, Zelos!" Phee exlaimed, holding her hand over her breasts.

"Oh, _Hello _there!" Zelos's eyes widened, "Aren't you just the coolest beauty around- oh and you're a Pegasus Knight..!"

"Yep…! But, I'm taken!" Phee laughed before promptly wrapping her arms around Arthur.

"Ouch… you know, that was cold." Zelos sighed.

"I think we'll be taking our leave now, right?" Celice said, fists still clenched. "This guy has gotten me so…"

"Yeah, I think we all can feel it." Arthur added.

Zelos turned his gaze back on Celice before they could move away, and moving to block them. "Actually… I don't usually talk to guys, but… _Celice._ I have to talk to you… it's rather important actually," he said in a far more serious tone, his eyes suddenly shifting towards a window at the back of the tavern.

"How-how'd you know my name..?" Celice questioned.

"You're the leader of the Liberation Army, of course everyone would know your name and face… but that isn't important right now…" Zelos said, "This… we can't discuss it here."

"This is starting to sound like some kind of trap." Celice stated.

"I assure, it's not. If need be, we can discuss this matter at _your _base, but… this city, it's not safe… not since Governal-General Dorr…" Zelos stated. "I've already…" he shook his head.

"Very well, Zelos…" Celice nodded, "I'll speak with you on whatever it is that you have to talk about, but this _will_ be at my- the Liberation Army's controlled barracks."

* * *

_Palmacosta Barracks_

"Sir Zelos… what is it?" Celice asked.

"Celice… leave Palmacosta. Get the Liberation Army out of here." Zelos said. "This is all a trap… the Desians are baiting you out here to wipe you guys out."

"What?"

"…I'm not lying. That attack earlier… that was just part of the trap- to make you think you won, that you were safe. No- the Governor-General, Dorr, he's working with Magnius, the leader of the Desians operating in this area, the ones operating out of the _Human Ranch_ southeast of here- this is nothing more than a plan to end the Liberation Army." Zelos stated.

"How do you know this… you're not who you appear to be, now are you… Zelos Wilder? And you're not alone. Someone is here with you… hiding in the shadows." Levin asked, flashing a quick smile.

"…_how observant_…" Zelos muttered to himself. "…Truth be told, I travel with an assassin."

"An assassin?" Celice exclaimed.

"Well, I do believe the term is 'Thief Fighter' but… Sheena, she possesses the skill of old, 'Silencer'." Zelos quickly said his eyes moving upward.

"Zelos, you idiot! You're not supposed to give me away… not even to these guys!" a female voice called out from above, followed by someone landing in the courtyard where they were standing, and out from the shadows stepped a definitively female figure in a drab orange tunic and a yellow scarf, her short, scruffy black hair tied up on her head. "The name's Sheena… and like this idiot said, I'm a thief fighter- I'm the reason why he has so much knowledge of what's going on here."

"You two… you're not from this town, are you?" Celice asked, his hands crossed.

"Yeah, we're from Thracia… initially I had a mission to kill Grandbell's Chosen of the Emblem... but after… some complications, me and Zelos here, well we ended up on the run. One thing is for certain though, we can't let those Desians do what they please…" Sheena explained.

"Wait, you had a mission to kill the Chosen? …Colette? You fought Himmlischer?" Celice questioned.

"Fought… isn't the word for it." Sheena shook her head. "Colette… she's innocent… I could've killed her in Silesia… but… no."

"Sheena couldn't bring herself to kill Colette- and that's why we're on the run. King Trabant wanted her dead- we failed our mission." Zelos said, slightly under his breath, but audible enough so that Celice could understand what he had said.

"Sounds like you've got a soft heart, Sheena… I can trust your words." Celice said. "But what is this of Governor-General Dorr and a plot to wipe us out? And what of that 'Human Ranch'?"

"First off- the Roter Rosen- a fierce Lopt Sect group, known for general brutality… the Desians, they operate facilities known as 'Human Ranches'… there's one near here. There's one in Thracia as well, and another in Miletos from what I know… these 'Human Ranches' are Desian bases of operations… however, the Desians are known to take people from nearby towns to the ranches… no one taken has ever returned… except one man in the Thracian town of Luin… Sorry I don't know more about them." Sheena said, "Now… the Desians use a secret Imperial Weapon- the 'Exsphere'… I don't know much about it, besides how it works… Exspheres amplify a person's combat capabilities through magic… so much so that special weapons that rely on that power are being made… ones that rival or even exceed the Holy Weapons that rely on Dragon Blood for power. With that in mind, one must assume that the Desians are a Grandbell force- but Desians attack even Grandbell towns, and have crushed Grandbell forces in battle."

"Ok, that's confusing…but… wait… did you ever see Himmlischer in combat? Do they possess Exspheres as well?" Celice asked, his eyes wide.

"Yes… yes they do. As do I and Zelos here." Sheena answered placing her hand over her heart and Zelos placing his hand on the stone on his neck.

"Hmm… I wonder if I can obtain one. That'll make this war a whole lot easier." Celice stated.

"Whoa. Hold on there, buddy! Use an Exsphere improperly, and it'll kill you!" Zelos warned. "

"We got ours from a Grandbell deserter, Altessa… although it's unlikely he'll have any more to hand out… and taking them from a Desian isn't an option- you need something called a Key Crest to control it." Sheena explained. "But less about Expsheres and more about dealing with the problems in this city… Governor-General Dorr… he's a traitor who sold out the people of this city to the Desians and is trying to lure you guys into a trap. If you remain in this city, the Desians will wipe you out."

"But we can't just abandon the people here! There's no point in winning the war if the civilians we're trying to save are murdered right before our eyes… and I get the feeling if we pull out, the Desians are going to attack the city again." Celice stated. "…What if we destroyed the Ranch?"

"Hey hey hey! Don't get yourself killed!" Zelos exclaimed. "Attacking that Desian base is just about suicide."

"Well, we've got to do something. Besides, we already beat the Desians in the city- it may have been part of Dorr's trap, but we did win, and outside the city we may stand a better chance." Celice said.

"The main issue would be Magnius, their leader. Magnius is a baron, who specializes in Axes. True, he only wields a Hero Axe- but I've found he has an Exsphere weapon: Rexflame… while Rexflame is… nothing compared to Falaflame, it's an incredibly powerful fire spell, any attack on the Ranch will be met with that." Sheena said.

"Well… I'll keep that in consideration, but… Sheena. Zelos. Will you two fight with us?" Celice looked at both as he asked.

"I'd like to pass, but I guess I'll side with you guys… leaving pretty girls to die- that's just not my style, ya know?" Zelos laughed, placing his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"And of course." Sheena replied, "You can count on me, Celice."


End file.
